The Birthday Date
by onewritergirl93
Summary: Bobby takes Alex out for her birthday. Was called "The Locket", but I changed it. :P
1. Chapter 1

The alarm buzzed too early in Alex Eames' opinion. Why had she volunteered to work on a Saturday? Then she remembered. The point was to keep busy, so she wouldn't think about the fact that today was her fortieth birthday. She pressed the snooze button and turned over. She began starting thinking about her life so far and how it turned out so differently than she expected. She was officially forty, single, and her only companion was her bird, Polly. She had friends, and a family that loved her, but Alex couldn't help but feel like she had missed out on some of the things she had wanted in life. A husband and children, that's what she had dreamed of, and she'd had both, but they had both been taken away.

She crawled out of bed and tried to focus on the positive while she showered and dressed for the day ahead.

At least she had Bobby. Well, to some extent anyway. He was her partner and best friend. But Alex had admitted to herself a long time ago that she wanted to be more. She wanted to be the one woman her loved with all his heart, the one he married and who had his children. She wanted to be the one he grew old with. If only he loved her like she loved him. Then her life would be complete.

--

About an hour later, Alex walked through the elevator doors of the 11th floor of 1PP. Bobby looked up as she came in and grinned at her. She smiled back at him. As long as she could see that man smile everyday, she'd survive. She sat in the chair across from her partner and smiled again when she saw the bag of Skittles with the bow tied around it sitting on her desk. He knew her too well. She glanced up at Bobby, noticing that he looked especially handsome in what looked like a new suit. 'A suit that one might wear on a nice date with their partner' she thought wistfully. She let her mind wander for a moment until a familiar voice shook her out of her daydream.

"Eames? You okay?" Bobby looked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The hearing goes with the years you know?" Alex replied with her signature sarcasm. "What'd you say?" Only Bobby could've noticed the hint of sadness in her eyes and voice.

"I was just wondering if you wanted any coffee." Bobby said. "Sure. I'll get it for us." Alex said and quickly jumped up, and was halfway to the break room before Bobby could react. She wanted a reason to get up so Bobby wouldn't ask her what was wrong. The middle of the squad room was not the place she wanted to tell her partner she was having a mid-life crisis. She wasn't even sure if that's what this was, or if she was just a little depressed. Either way, she didn't want Bobby to know that he was the main reason she was feeling down.

Bobby stared absently at his partner's empty chair trying to figure out what had Eames so down this morning. 'It's probably just a birthday thing.' he decided. 'I was depressed on my fortieth too. Of course, the reason I was so depressed had a lot to do with Eames.'

He thought about the years with Alex. Bobby was still amazed that she hadn't left him. She had put up with his 'quirks' for almost 7 years. He would be forever grateful for their partnership and her friendship. She was by far the best partner he had ever had, and his best friend in the entire world. But secretly Bobby wanted so much more. He wanted to hold her and kiss her, to tell her everything would be alright when she was sad, like today. To be the reason that beautiful smile filled her face with joy. He wanted to be her husband and the father of her children. The one she grew old with. If only she loved him the way he loved her. Then he would be truly happy.

--

The day went by rather slowly, with no new cases for the dynamic duo. They had finished up the last of the paperwork and were heading out the door. Both were glad they had the rest of the day off, but not wanting to go home. Bobby broke the silence.

"Can I take you out to dinner tonight?" he asked almost shyly.

"Sure Bobby, I'd like that." Alex said. "Pick me up at 7?"

"See you then. Oh yeah, be sure to dress up." Bobby replied with a big grin and a wink.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex took a long time to get ready for her dinner with Bobby

Alex took a long time to get ready for her dinner with Bobby. She tried to tell herself it didn't matter what she looked like, that it was just Bobby and he would take her out in sweats if that's what she wanted. But Alex wanted to look her best for this date. Okay, so it wasn't really a date- but it was as close as she was ever going to get to a real date with Bobby and she planned to make the best out of it as she could.

She chose a modest knee length, black, silk dress. It had a v-neck, but not too low. It was form fitting at the top, and the was slightly gathered as it moved down her body, so it 'swished' a little when she moved. She paired it with black heels and simple earrings. She pulled her hair up away from her face and fastened it with a diamond studded clip, a gift passed down to her when her grandmother passed away. She spent a little extra time on her makeup, sprayed a touch of perfume, and was done surprisingly early. She thought she looked good, but not overdone. She didn't want him thinking she wanted it to be a date. Alex would never do anything to risk losing his partnership and friendship. But still, she couldn't get rid of the excited butterflies in her stomach.

--

Bobby couldn't shake the nervousness he felt while he walked up to Alex's apartment. He had bought her a bouquet of gardenias, hoping she wouldn't know the special meaning behind them. He reached her apartment and stared dumbly at the door for a moment, wondering if he should knock or use the key Alex had given him like he usually did. Before Bobby could decide which would be appropriate, Alex opened the door and grinned at him.

"Are you going to just stand out there?" she said sarcastically, smiling up at Bobby's handsome -and clean shaven- face.

Bobby stared at his petite partner. He had always been beautiful to him, but tonight he was completely speechless. She looked gorgeous in her simple, yet elegant dress. He loved how she had done her hair, pulled up from her face. And the amount of makeup was just right to accent her naturally beautiful face.

Alex studied her partner as he so obviously studied her. He looked casual compared to the expensive suits and ties she was used to seeing him in. But he was definitely still dressed up. He looked even more handsome than usual in his casual black flannel shirt with no tie, with the top two buttons undone, and a black suit jacket unbuttoned over it. He had on a pair of dark jeans and his customary black dress shoes. He had shaven the stubble off his handsome face and was staring at her with his dreamy brown eyes and a smile on his face. Her heart jumped to her throat. Yes, her partner fit the definition "tall, dark and handsome" to a tee.

Bobby suddenly realized that he must look like he'd never seen a beautiful woman before. Then again, he never _had _seen a woman as beautiful as Alex looked at that moment. He looked down at his hands and saw that he still held the flowers he had bought her. Before he let his mind wander again, he extended them to her. "For you." was all he could say.

Alex smiled sweetly and smelled the large bunch of flowers. Gardenias if she wasn't mistaken. "They're beautiful. Thank you, Bobby." she said. "Come in, and I'll find a vase for them. Sit down. Well, if you want I mean. Are you thirsty? Can I get you something to drink?" Alex asked quickly and then stopped when she realized that she sounded like a nervous school girl. This was her partner for goodness sakes, he had been here too many times to count and she was acting like he was a first time guest. She hurried to kitchen in search of a vase, to save herself from further embarrassment.

When she returned a few minutes later, Bobby was across the room studying a picture of the two of them on her mantle. Alex watched him in silence.

"I don't remember this picture." Bobby said without turning around. It was as if he could feel her eyes on him. She came up behind him and looked. It was a photo of them a few years earlier, at her nephew's birthday party. In it, Bobby and Alex were sitting on a porch swing and Bobby was smiling and saying something, at which Alex was laughing. The picture captured a rare moment of the two of them being carefree and having fun together outside of work. Although there was no doubt they were the other's best friend, there were very few times they could really relax and just be silly and have fun together. Which made them cherish those moments even more.

"My sister took it when we weren't paying attention. She gave me a copy when they were developed." Alex said.

"Oh." Bobby said simply. "I like it." He turned to face Alex. "You ready to go?"


	3. Chapter 3

I'm not sure about this chapter, but here it is

**I'm not sure about this chapter, but here it is. Thank you so much for the reviews!**

Because he wanted to keep the restaurant he'd chosen a surprise, Bobby drove the SUV. He kept glancing over at his partner sitting in the passenger's seat, looking out the window, not doubt trying to guess where they were going.

"Watch the road, Bobby. You'll have plenty of time to look at me when we get there." Alex said without taking her eyes off the window. Bobby smiled. He loved how in-sync they were, that they could almost read each others minds.

They drove for a while, and then he parked in front of a well known Italian restaurant. It was also quite expensive. He hoped Alex wouldn't realize that. Apparently, she did.

"Oh, Bobby. We really don't hav-" he silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"It's your birthday. You deserve it." he smiled at her, got out of the car and went around, opening her door. He held her hand as he helped her down and didn't let go. Their fingers intertwined naturally as the walked in and were seated at a cozy round booth. Surprisingly, the restaurant was virtually empty, so it was a very private setting. Bobby waited until Alex sat, then slid into the booth across from her. She was looking around it awe at the paintings on the walls, the statues placed at the entrance, and the low lighting and candles on the table that set a romantic mood.

"It's beautiful." she said in a soft voice.

"You're beautiful." Bobby whispered.

Alex smiled at him and looked down at her lap. She wasn't used to being pampered like this, and it would take some getting used to, but she was determined to enjoy the evening. And she knew it would be very easy to get used to this from Bobby. She opened her menu and saw the high prices next to every meal. Bobby saw her look and quickly told her to get whatever she wanted. She decided that a protest wouldn't do any good, so she agreed and continued looking. It all sounded so good, but she knew what Bobby was getting. Chicken Parmesan, his favorite. So, while she looked over the menu, he looked over her.

The candles from the table made her face glow, highlighting her lovely cheekbones. Her eyes skimmed the pages of the menu, and he watch the delicate long lashes move every time she blinked. He studied the way she was biting her lip as she read, and found himself wondering again what it would be like to kiss her. The waiter's voice interrupted his happy thoughts.

They gave their orders, and handed the menus back to the waiter.

"Thank you for this, Bobby." Alex said.

Bobby felt his heart swell when he saw how happy she looked. And to think for once that he was the one who made her happy! He wanted to shout for joy, but settled on saying "You're very welcome, Alex."

She smiled even wider when he said 'Alex'. She'd waited so long to hear it, she almost felt like crying. Thankfully, the waiter came back with their drinks and a basket of bread. They each grabbed a piece and nibbled on it as they were lost in their own thoughts. Shortly after, the waiter came with their food.

Throughout the meal, they talked about several things. They tried to keep the serious stuff, such as current work and his mother, for another time. But they talked about her nephew some, and also shared memories of cases they'd done together. Bobby loved the sound of her laugh, and her face as she told the stories. He wanted so much to sit there forever with her.

Well into the night, and long after they had finished their dinner and shared a piece of tiramisu, they still sat in the little booth. Thankfully the next day was Sunday, and they had the day off. Neither wanted the night to end, so Eames' invited Bobby over to her place for coffee.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long for me to post this! I wasn't sure how I wanted it to end, and I'm still not sure it's just right. Tell me what you think!**

They got to her apartment, and Alex went to start the coffee. Bobby sat at the end of her couch and fiddled with the corner of a pillow while he waited. A few minutes later, Alex came with a cup in each hand. Bobby rose to take one, and then sat again. Alex sat on the cushion next to Bobby and turned to face him. Bobby casually put his arm across the back of the couch behind her so he could turn towards her. For a few seconds they just looked at each other, both lost in their separate thoughts.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight, Bobby. It means a lot to me." Alex gave him a small smile.

"I'm just glad you agreed to go." Bobby said. "I like spending time with you outside of work." He stopped and looked at her, wondering if he should have kept his mouth shut. To his relief, she only smiled more.

"I like it too." Alex said. "We should do it more often." she said hopefully.

"Yeah, we should." Bobby said, and they both fell into the comfortable silence again. Neither one said anything until they had finished their coffee. This was one of their favorite things about their partnership. No awkward silences, no matter how long, because they were so close that nothing needed to be said aloud.

Bobby felt almost guilty when he finally spoke up. But he had to say something; the small velvet box had been practically burning a hole in his pocket the entire night. He had been waiting for the perfect moment, and he thought this might be it.

He took a deep breathe. "I have something for you."

She looked at him and smiled sweetly again. "You really didn't have to. Being with you tonight was gift enough." She said. "Oh, and the Skittles."

Bobby chuckled and reached in her pocket for the gift he had for Alex. He smiled nervously and handed her the black, rectangle velvet box. Alex took it and looked up at him, surprised. She looked down at the box again and opened it gently and let out a small gasp.

"Oh, Bobby, it's beautiful." she whispered.

She stared at the delicate, oval locket made of white gold in the box. It had three diamonds encrusted diagonally across the front. She picked it up and turned it over. Her breath caught in her throat. In was engraved simply, 'With Love, Bobby.' She looked up at him, but couldn't get any words out.

He smiled, but didn't say anything. Alex gently opened the locket and tried to hold back her tears. In the locket was a small picture of her nephew smiling up at her, and on the other side, was her partner. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and they traveled slowly down her cheeks.

"Bobby." was all she could manage to whisper as she stared at him.

He looked nervous and quickly said, "You can change the pictures, if you want. I just didn't want to give it to you empty." He was about to say something more, but Alex silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"It's perfect. I love it." she paused and looked straight into his eyes and moved her hand to rest of his cheek. "I love _you_."

She leaned in and kissed him gently on his lips. It took Bobby half a second to respond, but then he took his arm off the back of the couch, cradled the back of her head with his hand, and wove his fingers in her soft hair. His other arm went around her waist as he kissed her back. After what seemed like an eternity, yet only a second at the same time, they pulled away. Bobby stared at her for a moment, mesmerized by how beautiful she was.

"I love you too, Alex. So much." Bobby whispered and kissed her gently again.

Then he lifted the locket out of its box and placed it around her neck and fastened the clasp. Alex looked at it once more, and then smiled up at her love. There was a mischievous glint in her eye when she said

"I can't wait to see how you top this one next year."


End file.
